Just for Yeager ErenxLevi
by zombierooster
Summary: "Maybe I was too overprotective… or maybe, not enough. I can't help but blame myself for all of this…" Follow Captain Levi's story as he tries to decipher the mystery of a murder case. Timeline: approx. after season two of AOT. Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin ) Cover art credit: Tenzuki. Follow via Deviantart. Show this awesome artist some support!
1. Chapter 1: Hard to Handle

**H**ow ghastly—more than I could take. The heat of the night's air suckled at my breath and left my chest dry, heart racing. The full moon behind me casted over my shoulders, spotlighting his pallid face like it was on display. I was struck, the feeling of nausea hitting the back of my throat as I examined him with a glassy expression.

That dull look of disinterest had to hide the torment surging inside me while I stood paralyzed over his corpse. Yet I was dumbstruck, fish-eyed. From outside the wall, his body laid on the grassy terrain splattered with blood, his grey empty eyes cocked to the side. Flat on his back, his body showed little to no signs of resistance. Did he even transform? Why didn't it seem like he tried to defend himself? Maybe a covert attack? An ambush?

My mind started to rapid fire, a torrent of possibilities surfacing my suspicions. But I couldn't focus on his killer. Our memories together were all I could conjure, all I could rest on. Maybe I was too overprotective, or maybe… not enough. I couldn't help but blame myself for this. He was a comrade, a friend, a lover—

"Aye, Levi? Are you all right?" Hange's voice was like a low pitch ringing to snap me back into reality. Surely, she had to have been calling me a number of times to have asked me that question. I jerked my head up, veering over to my shoulder to witness the grave look of concern in her eyes. I answered her flatly,

"We need to send the body back for an official examination."

She tented her brows, her reply in a hush, "This wasn't a titan's doing."

"I know." Squad members continued to silently converse among themselves as they circled his body. Conny consulted Armin, who was more than devastated. I kept my eyes on him, reading off his dreaded face an inner hysteria. Then I wondered where Mikasa was; after the report went out, she stormed out of our prior mission briefing. Hange suddenly caught my attention as she knelt by his body, lifting up his jacket where a pool of blood poured.

"Impaled. Clean precision between the rib cage. And it looks like it was done with one of our steel blades. Flat, smooth cut."

An inside job? Seems our militia was full of cold, heartless traitors. How sickening. I withdrew to my saddle, mounting my horse in a hidden rage of vengeance. My eyes coursed over his body one last time, stinging with suppressed tears. There needed to be justice, and I intend to proceed without bias. The low-life scum who did this will pay.

"Captain? Are you heading out already?" Sasha asked me and I engaged her with no comment. I merely addressed Hange to load the carriage, and with it, she gave me a blank stare.

But Sasha continued, "He is one of our own! One of our men who died not in combat, but within our own defenses! And you don't even shed a tear? A word of solace?" That girl with an appetite continued to babble on like I had no clue, approaching me with hate. "It's him we're talking about! He risked his life for us on several occasions, kept by our side, volunteered to help with his abilities in any way possible, and you just—"

I had enough, my emotions erupting inside me and unlatched my blade to that wretched girl's loud mug. My voice, as stern and commanding as possible, stifled her lips, "I would shut up now if I were you. You talk without representation, without awareness. He was murdered. That I can clearly see, and you stand here and accuse me of not giving two shits? Perhaps I did it then, huh? Because how can I leave here so coldhearted and apathetic? What would have sufficed? A cascade of tears as I bawled over his carcass? Or maybe a few swearing words of retribution? He is a fallen soldier, just like the rest. And just like the rest, I hold my utmost reverence and thanks." I turned to Hange once more, dropping my blade with a sigh. "Would you please have Eren loaded into the carriage?"


	2. Chapter 2: Remembering You, Pt1

**I **was being a bit selfish with the opportunity, but it presented itself with very high promises. Who knew he would accept my invite, and even further, invite himself to the thermal spring behind my Manor? Guess he needed to unwind more than he needed some guidance that night. I sought to provide him both.

With a towel around my waist, I approached the unexpected rookie. He had already submerged himself by the edge of water, his resting head slumped over his folded arms on stone. Slipping my towel off, I indulged my nude self and dipped into the bath. It had been a while since I last enjoyed nature's spa, my pores already screaming with delight. The hot steam rolled over my face and I fell mellow, absorbing the starry night and its simplicity. The crickets were soft, the breeze, smooth. Eren paid me no mind. The current as I approached didn't stir him either, then I noticed from behind him… he was sound asleep.

A sly grin surfaced my face, and I could feel the imp inside me smiling back. I slammed my hand on his shoulder, and he answered back with a startled swing of his fist towards my face. Predictable, but then again, it was Eren.

With his caught arm in my hand, I lowered his defense, and gave him a dry remark, "Falling asleep in my hot spring? You prune."

My horrible joke surely went over his head, as he looked more concerned with my being here than anything else.

"Sorry about that. I-I guess I didn't hear you coming in," he stuttered, continuing, "I'll show myself out."

He drew away, my grip still on his wrist. But I pulled him in, reassuring him as his hazel-green eyes met mine. "It's fine. I could use the company." My emotionless mien locked onto his bewildered one, and I could read the anxiety riding up his heated cheeks. For a brief moment, there was absolute silence, and I'd soon break the pause with a sigh. Crossing my arms, I cocked my head atilt, addressing him, "Boy, you really are awkward. Queer and reckless. What a strange combination."

"I am not a queer!" He barked.

"And hot-headed." I tapped a finger over my chin. "You know, that word serves more than one meaning. Get your head out of the gutter."

He dropped his hostile composure, pushing out a deep breath. "Look, Levi, I know what you're thinking, and I'm not interested, okay?"

"What?"

His face flushed, and his eyebrows furrowed as if he were straining. Finally, he declared in a loud burst, "You… you like me!"

How adorable.

"And you like me. Unless, that's a problem? It'd be a personal one, though, now wouldn't it?"

"W-what? I don't—"

"—You wouldn't have accepted my offer if that were not the case. You're in denial." I closed myself around him, pushing us both against the edge of the bath. And with a whisper, "Or maybe you're just that gullible?"


	3. Chapter 3: Remembering You, Pt2

[**Warning: **Sexual themes explored]

**H**e looked down to me, stunned, sporting a lovely shade of red. He was so rigid, and it almost looked like he was afraid of me to touch him. But my arms kept to straddling his person, hands locked on the edging stones. I guess I was waiting for him to make a move, though it looked like I would have to ease him into accepting his attraction towards me.

It was a bold move. After all, I wasn't 100% certain he actually felt the same of me, basing my assumptions on his prior reactions. However, I've never seemed to misplace my accuracy on reading humans. But Eren wasn't entirely human, now was he? Nevertheless, I inched into his face, closed my eyes, and expected him to brace for a kiss. Instead, I felt a needless thrashing, and like a slippery fish, he dipped into the water, popping his head out from behind me.

Sigh. I never did enjoy the game of cat and mouse, and I gradually felt myself chasing this coward. I veered to him, the water from his throat forcing his fist into his chest repeatedly. I crossed my arms, craning my head with an irked expression plastered on my face. "Was that truly necessary?"

He vigorously rubbed his cheek, his lips trembling. "I… I think I might have touched your balls."

I stifled a smile.

"Levi, I—I s-should really get going. It's getting late."

"Right. Best you leave. That would be convenient, just like your mindless rage… "

He turned to me, his wide eyes lost by my words.

"You heard me clearly, Yeager. You put up this front of fearlessness and bravery. Yet truthfully, you act like a five year old child; undisciplined, disruptive, and reckless. How many times should you fail before your actions speak louder than your words? All of those threats of slaying each and every callous titan, when you can't even control your own emotions?"

He glared me down, speechless.

"Or own up to them." I paused, looking up to him flatly. He seemed embarrassed, and surely he knew there was some truth in what I had said. But I must have triggered something, for he suddenly approached me as if ready to fight. Eren took my shoulders, his voice deep and stern,

"I know I'm not perfect, but I know what I said, and I meant it. I WILL wipe out every last one of them! You can count on it! I don't have time to worry about my actions, if they're right or wrong. As long as I get the job done, then they're right to me! So call me reckless, call me stupidly daring! As long as I come back alive to fight another day, then I'm fine with it! I don't need you looking after me; I can fend for myself!"

"Fend for yourself?"

"I can!"

"So, you don't need me then?"

"You heard me!"

"Is that so?"

He grew angrier, thrusting me into the brim of the pool, his grip close to my neck. "Maybe if you'd stop treating me like a child, you'll see that I'm better off without you!"

I grinned, replying, "You're lying through your teeth. Maybe I should knock them out aga—"

He shushed me, his tongue slipping between my shrewd lips. It was sudden, unanticipated. But I returned his kiss, our entangled breaths emitting hot moans and grunts as our mouths enraptured each other. It was satisfying, pleasurably passionate. I couldn't deny the butterflies fluttering in my stomach as he cradled my face in one hand, and ventured my body with the other. I got chills, subduing to his tracing fingers down my chest, and over my side.

Overzealous, I wanted more than I could take from the moment. I snatched his waist, pinning out bodies even closer together as his soft lips suckled up my neck. I would cater to him in kind, scooping my hands under his bottom and arching him against my growing girth.

It was pure ecstasy—his touch, his warmth, his taste, until the scent of dread forced my eyes snap open to the red spreading between us. His blood splattered on my chest, its endless gushing spewing out from his torso. Struck, I released him, looking up to a rotting crater of his former face.

I gasped, surging up from my bed, my body doused with terror and sweat. The image of his face swarming with flies and filth engraved itself in my thoughts, still painfully visible as I slipped my eyes shut. A dream? There was no mistaking that, although, it was more so a nightmare than anything else.

I peeled my eyes open to the morning light peeping into my bedroom, a sharp knocking on my door soon to follow.

Her voice couldn't get me out of bed, continually calling out my name as if there were a fire. I ignored it, and her response, a firm tackle into my door like a mad woman.

"Levi! What the hell!" She approached me, hands pinned to her hips. "Have you suddenly grown deaf or something?! Did you not hear me breaking down your door?!"

"Like a thunderous storm of hungry, hungry, hippos," I jested, my face screaming _smartass_. Surprisingly, she didn't snap me a comeback, my wife instead dragging me out of bed by rummaging through my closet.

Yes, my closet. After all, we did have separate bedrooms…

"We're going to be late for the funeral! Hurry up and get ready!"

My face suddenly sulked. I caught the ensemble she tossed in my hands, looking down at the black blazer with grief. "Sure, Hange… "


	4. Chapter 4: Alone Again

**I**ncredible how a densely packed gathering of grievers could make one feel absolutely small in a field of the dead. Almost as phenomenal as the many soldiers who showed up to properly send Yeager off into the realm of souls. Some of them I've never seen before. Others, familiar faces, but one trooper in particular stuck out at me. The absence of Mikasa. I scanned the crowd once more for her, then scrunched my brows up to the beaming intensity of the morning sun. I sighed. Maybe I should have stayed home as well. It was taking too much out of me in keeping my composure as they lowered his casket underground.

I had a feeling Hange sensed I was holding something back, as I felt her occasionally dart her eyes towards me. She kept to my side in the ring of bodies, but honestly I couldn't have felt more alone.

Eren…

Commander Erwin gave his final words, and they immediately began to coat his body with soil.

It was almost instantaneous—how fast the sun surrendered to a fleet of heavy clouds. The air drew dark and thick, and a pounding thunder strike introduced a shower of cold rain. Perhaps now I may weep without suspicion…

The gathering began to disperse little by little, but Hange and those closer to Eren stayed for his complete burial. I tried to remain empty headed, tried to compress the memories I had of him. Nothing was more difficult. That hot-headed time bomb scarred me with much happiness and affection. He gave me an even greater purpose in a world of desolated dystopia.

I suddenly felt Hange coddle me, resting her head on me with an arm around my shoulder. The sensation bothered me; I hated feeling vulnerable. But she knew that, and wanted to manipulate me in the moment. Perhaps she thought I should express something; anger, fear, a slash of sentiment. After all, it was a funeral. But it made no difference to me. How much I could lock up inside continued to confuse and even irritate her. Her comfort only forced my way out of the cemetery, and into the carriage.

After twenty minutes, she followed me in, and I soon found myself in the bosom of my warm, dry home once more. I tossed my drenched jacket on the coat rack, then dipped my head down, pressing my eyes shut to the inevitable irritation. From behind me, she slammed the door, dropped her bag, and then snatched my shoulders. She veered me to her sharply, her piercing glare trying to strip down my stone mien.

"What, the, hell, Levi?! Eren died, and you had nothing to say at his funeral. You didn't even bother showing up at his wake! Are you honestly that cold hearted?! Do you even have a shred of sympathy? Do you even know what that word means?"

I took her wrist, and said flatly, "I don't have time for this."

"That's too bad, because we are doing this right now! I can't believe you can act this way towards the one hope we had against those titans! I would see you out there with him, teaching him, training him. Was that all for show? Did you not give a rat's ass about him as a human being? Or did you only care about his ability?!" She cupped my face, and her blabbing continued, "I thought you out of all people besides his two friends would care, Levi. I truly did. It seemed you had high regards for that boy. It seemed that you actually cared for him."

Hange, you bitch.

I finally broke; I had no control at the moment. She looked deeply into my watering eyes, her creased lips slipping ajar. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't…

I gritted my teeth at my disclosure. It was pathetic… it was weak. And she knew I was beyond upset. I could feel my face burning red. She then realized her mistake, one she couldn't rectify. My wife didn't even try to condole me, merely apologizing before I ventured off.

A hot shower was all I could think about, to wash this vulnerability of mine. The steaming water against my pink flesh was satisfying, although not enough to wash away those persistent memories. It was beginning to feel like a curse, and the more I thought of him, the angrier I felt. He left me, the bastard left me.

"Heh." I chuckled, dropping my shoulders as I lost myself, staring at the emptiness in my wet palm. I tried to scorch the pain way, but before I knew it, I broke down into madness. A manic laugh bubbled out of me. Louder it grew, filtering the bathroom in a nerving echo. I grabbed my head, pulling at my hair as my booming amusement stretched down the halls. I cackled like a hyena, sashaying back and forth in the mist of heat.

If I had any emotions, I guess this was my way of coping with it. If I had any regret, I believe this was how I'd deal with it. No one could watch me here, and no one could judge. Not even myself. I allowed the exposure, and it grinned back at me with vicious volatility. I felt my head swell up with hysteria—perhaps I was finally going insane. My chest caved in, my eyes bulged out, and my voice cracked dry as I sniveled in sorrow.

But then, I snapped.

Throwing a punch into the shower tiles before me. Like that, the rest of the world seemed to fall into place. Reality seemed to coat me in misery again, and the fact that he's gone finally settled in. I dropped my knees and fell into a cascade of tears, burrowing my face in my bleeding hand as I trembled…

I was truly alone again…


	5. Chapter 5: Breakthrough

**H**ange managed to form this unspoken segregation between us these last couple of days. Perhaps she figured I needed some solitude. Perhaps she felt guilty. Either way, I was fortunate for this blessing and kept to myself, sitting in the kitchen corner breakfast nook. With my newspaper in hand, cigarette between my lips, and early coffee, I continued to indulge.

The morning sun teemed through the horizontal wooden blinds, its warmth basking over my skin, and its radiance shedding light on dull print. I flipped to the front page once more, the headline's bold font screaming at me news I tried to bury in my subconscious mind. My eyes traced over the words, and I dissected every bit of detail;

'Soldier Eren Yeager's body found dead beyond territory limits…'

An eerie waft swept over my head, and I edged my reading glasses over the top of the newspaper. My maid Elga suspiciously cleared her throat as she wiped down the kitchen counter, her focus lingering on me from the corner of her eye. My peeping seemed to have nerved her as she suddenly jerked her head forward, settled a cup of tea aside, and rushed out.

Strange…

As soon as she exited the kitchen, Hange walked in, tossing her garden gloves off then claimed her steaming cup of herbal delight. She looked to me briefly, barely acknowledging my presence before she greeted me softly, "Morning."

"… Morning, Hange."

"How are you doing?"

She wanted to strike up small talk, but she strained, as if a married couple's daily commune was mandatory. I didn't ease her burden, sighing in irritation at her attempt to engage me. Hange mistook the silence as an opportunity to accompany me across the table. She was spotted with soil, reeked of earth and clay, and the light bouncing off her glasses pierced my eyes. But oddly enough, part of me was content she approached me.

Oddly enough…

"They say there was no evidence left behind that night. And a timeline was rendered given the decomposition of his body." She leaned into me, perking my interest. "He must have been murdered approximately three hours before we discovered the body."

"How does that help the investigation?"

"The timeline really doesn't, but what wasn't left behind does. Three hours. Enough time for the killer to spot Eren, kill him, drag his body outside the walls, and snatch this." She rummaged deep in her pants pocket and unfolded a sketch flat on the table. "His key."

My eyes widened as I dropped the newspaper on my lap, jerking my glasses off. How did something like that get lost in the report?

"I bumped into Armin the other day and I prodded him about Eren. Anything that would help his investigation. Then I asked him about his apparel, maybe a trademark he carries around tucked away that we would have easily missed. He mentioned this necklace key, and then it hit me. That night when we found him around 2am, I studied his body thoroughly before loading him up, and I'm damn certain I did not see this key. The killer probably snatched it off of him and kept it as a trophy of his kill."

"Where is Mikasa?"

She scrunched her forehead, arching a brow to my question. "I'm not sure."

I snuffed out my cigarette in the ashtray and shot up in a rush, grabbing my jacket with me before Hange grabbed my wrist. I looked down to her, witnessing her concerned deep eyes. "I know what you're thinking, and she should be the last suspect in your mind."

"The ones who are closer to you are the ones who can hurt you the most."

She lowered her head, her voice softening. "Hm, yes. There's a lot of truth to that."

"Let me go, Hange. I need to find Mikasa."


	6. Chapter 6: The Encounter, Pt1

**_T_**_here were no sure indications of his interest towards me when we first met, but I knew for certain he was a particular breed of strange whom I wanted to uncover. __Like myself, I carried my curiosities in covert, paying mind to not draw too much attention to my objective. __Down I went, tucked in my hood, snaking my way pass oblivious trainees in an open field. It seemed their Omni Gear training session just ended, and Eren, pinned to a wall of brick stone, was defeatedly trying to catch his breath. That one companion of his stuck to him like a leech; was almost as suffocating as what little he knew on the impending ultimate test of survival. I had learnt most of their names a while back, and if I remembered correctly, she was one of the more talented rookies, Mikasa Ackerman._

_She smothered his space and I had no angle in approaching him. I didn't want to seem over eager, but the longer I lingered, the more impatient I became. So, I bulldozed my way in, so to speak. _

_"__Pathetic performance. I think your decision in joining the military was overzealous." I stripped my hood off, two pair of eyes ogling me in confusion, and possibly a dash of shock. My arms fell crossed, and I continued to address him, "you're in way over your head if you can't even balance yourself in an aerial assault."_

_Eren gasped, erecting himself promptly. "Ca-c-captain Levi!" He stood with a firm salute, and Mikasa followed with a sharp glare._

_"__You didn't come all this way to belittle a rookie, did you?" She unhesitantly questioned me, my title no warrant for her to hold her tongue. Hmph, those bold types always did entertain me. And she seemed fearless, protective… _

_I kept my eyes on Eren, a frown now surfacing my face. "I would like a word with him, alone." Ackerman loitered before she finally made her exited, only a few short meters away mind you, but enough distance for me speak with Eren privately._

_"__So you know of me? Then I can save the needless introduction. Yeager. Eren Yeager, am I right?"_

_He dipped his head in an almost pathetic display of embarrassment, his timidness swooning me closer to him. I pressed his back against the wall with my assertive front, and slammed a fist over his head. I anchored myself over him, his eyes so submissive, I slipped a grin in delight. There was a near instantaneous chemistry between us I couldn't deny as a blush colored his face red. At that moment, I wanted nothing more but to test that attraction, the butterflies in my stomach motioning me closer to his innocence. But I couldn't forget my place, merely whispering in his ear, "Are you not afraid?" _

_He flashed me a blinking stare before shifting his eyes over my shoulder. Suddenly, I felt a heat of abhorrence from behind me that forced me too to look his direction. I scoffed, turning my focus to him again and questioned, "Is she your body guard?"_

_"__Ugh, uh, no. No she isn't."_

_"__It looked like you were begging her to come over."_

_"__I, I wasn't!" He stuttered, stumbling on his words with quaking lips._

_"__What is she to you, then?"_

_"__Mikasa? She is just a friend."_

_"__How reassuring." I bridged a distance between us, giving him a glassy expression. "Don't expect this friend to hold your hand through this. And if by some miracle chance you make it to the force, rely on only yourself to save your own ass. Because out there, they'll pluck you out the sky before you can cry out for help. And then, take your friend out too."_

_"__Y-yes sir!"_

_"__If you don't stay focused, you can lose more than just your pride out there. I heard about your backstory, and your die-hard mission to slay every last one of them. Don't let that get over your head. Vengeance can fuel an incredible spark inside people. Keep them striving with stamina. But it can also leave you dead."_

_"__I know what I'm getting myself into, Captain."_

_"__Do you? Do you really?" I cupped his chin, my eyes coursing over his body in lust. "Would be such a shame too… "_

_I jerked up, a strong grip snatching my shoulder as I veered over to his bodyguard at my side._

_"__Break's over. We need to go now."_

Deeming back at our first encounter, it became harder to accept the idea that she may have played a role in Yeager's death. But I have learned to never rule out any possibilities, no matter how improbable. I rode towards the training hut with one mission in mind; to expose her for the killer she was. But what I needed to do was affix myself to no bias, somewhat of a hard thing to do when she couldn't even bring herself to his funeral, or his death site. This, so called close childhood friend; was it truly that difficult to bare his demise that she couldn't see him one last time?

Something told me she would be here, if not home, the cemetery, nor with Armin. I tied up my horse before motioning to the wide window panel to notice I was right. I found her venting amid combat garb and gym equipment. The door behind me slammed hard, but she continued to punish the punching bag in the ring with merciless swift blows of fury. No doubt she knew I was coming.

It seemed she was alone in this large scale exercise venue, and my voice called out to her in a booming echo, "Ackerman... "


	7. Chapter 7: The Encounter, Pt2

**U**nderstanding her complexity—a near impossible thing to do. As she slowly veered to my direction, I felt this eerie gap between us stretch in the most looming way. Her shallow eyes, just as flat and glassy as mine, ate at me from afar. I felt like I was caught in a showdown, accepting it as such. And as the silence grew more insidious, I grew more confident in my conviction.

From what I recollected from Eren's tales on his childhood, he had granted her a second chance at life. Such a foolish, yet considerate unselfish little boy. Still brash and reckless as always; but that time he got lucky, lucky enough that they both walked out of there alive. Of course Mikasa would be forever grateful, forever dedicated to Yeager. I too would have owed him my life if he had taken such action for my defense. But this woman had surpassed borderline obsession, latched onto his side like a Siamese twin. It was disgusting, the codependence she whole-heartedly believed to be true.

She surely thought I had taken him from her, had stolen the precious moments she could have had with him. Mikasa didn't want to share, and honestly, neither did I. I wanted him all for myself, and every time I would pull his attention, she would always stab me a spearing glower. Cared less, I cared less about how she saw me. And when it came to protecting her knight in shining armor at the tribunal, my actions came out callousness rather than caring to her. Ever since, she wanted to carve my face open.

I approached the ring, and she responded by striping her boxing gloves off. Mikasa did not dismount, and it seemed she wanted me to join her in the contained box. But I kept grounded, slipping my hands in my pockets, looking up to her for words.

"Can I help you?" She finally addressed me, with bitterness under-toned.

"I haven't seen you in over a week. Commander told me you've been dodging your assignments and routine missions."

"I'm still grieving," she answered in a restless sigh, slugging over to the punching bag. She couldn't keep her eyes on me for long, thumping her forehead on the coarse fabric swaying between her arms.

"Hard to believe you felt any type of way about Yeager's passing. You didn't show up on site, and didn't even bother attending his funeral."

She veered to me with a softened voice. "Why did it matter if I presented myself or not? Wouldn't have validated or discredited anything."

"It didn't, but I figured you out of all people would have wanted to see him one last time."

"I… didn't want my last memory of him to be a solemn one."

"Or, you didn't want to feel so… guilt-ridden." What a trigger to force, and I was upfront enough to say it aloud. She spun her hateful mien down on me, a malice I surely would never forget. I felt more captivated by how she sensed my accusation over anything else. Only a criminal would jump to conclusions.

_Go on, Mikasa. Feed me that sheepish, sinful face. Let me see it. Let me expose you for who you really are!_

"Are you implying that I murdered Eren?"

I narrowed my eyes on her approaching, and a part of me prepared myself on the defensive. There was no turning back now, not that I would have wanted to, but perhaps I should have brought a weapon at the very least. As I began to slip my lips open in response, I suddenly found her bent before me, arms stretched between the ring ropes and fist clung to my collar. She yanked me in, my face colliding with the wires in a sharp burn as I gritted my teeth at the unexpected aggression. My hand snatched her bound arm, but her latch wouldn't part ways with me.

"Come up here," she grunted, "come up here and say it."

"I'm not going to fight you, Mikasa."

Just like that, she reeled me in with ease, through the ropes and onto the ring. Rolling on my knee, I stroked my chin from the graze, looking up to her with much caution. I admitted to not thinking this through, but this wasn't a possible outcome I could have calculated.

"You come here and accuse me of sending my best friend to his grave? You have no choice!"


	8. Chapter 8: The Encounter, Pt3

**A**nd just like that, I found myself pinned against one of the more cunning, clever, competitive militants of the regime. There was no way of deescalating this quarrel, as I've already stirred her pot hot, and she had positioned herself to spar with me. But I wasn't going to be her prey this evening; I can very well take care of my own. So I surrendered from yielding, tossing off my jacket before stripping off my suspenders. The last thing I wanted to do was give her an edge to grappling me to the ground with ease. She showcased a malicious mien, and I countered with the same expression. I couldn't deny at this point, that this could have been a blessing in disguise; I get to privately exact my revenge on Eren's killer before sending her to conviction.

Without another moment to waste, she sprung at me like a cheetah ready to pounce on her meal. I step- dodged, leaving her hovering her balance on one foot, as the other closed into my legs for a sweep. My body went crashing onto the ring, and she'd soon follow by mounting over me, fists flying into my crossed arms over my face. She was quick, almost inhumanly so. I didn't expect to be subdued so suddenly. But soon my anger lashed out in realizing who I was up against, in realizing what this woman was capable of. I broke my barrier, then jerked my head to the side, her punch missing me and burrowing into the ring. I used the opportunity to skull bash her head into mine, and followed with a straight punch into her nose.

The impact sent her partway off my legs, enough for me to slip from underneath her, and dive my foot into her chest. She dropped back-first into the ring, but this was only temporary. Mikasa sprung into motion with haste, as if unfazed by her bloody nose and bruised forehead. I still heard sirens from colliding heads, and most obviously dizzy from the blow as I wobbled to stand still. She finally closed in and tackled me down. Again, I found myself in her control, this time in a headlock between her relentless arms.

As I struggled to break free, I found myself in an even further dire situation, only writhing into a tighter clutch as she tried to choke me out. With the air thinning around me, I needed to make my own gateway out of her grip, reaching my lower elbow from the floor for a boost. My top elbow rammed against her jaw, briefly crippling her so I may follow through with my hips over her back. I quickly hooked my leg around hers, slipped my head out, and pressed her down with my own weight onto the ring. In the same motion, I twisted her arms against her back, pinning her away from me.

It didn't take long before her desperate attempts at freeing herself kicked in, and I would counter each one. They left her out of breath, flushed, and furious. Part of me wanted to give her a choice to surrender, part of me wanted to beat her into a pulp.

"I truly wonder what's stopping me from ending your life right here, right now," I whispered under my breath.

"You think I'm stupid? You think I'm completely clueless? How you walk around like he's your puppet, like you're some short super kick ass mentor? Like you're doing us all a favor by trying to mold him into a fighting machine?! You might have fooled everyone, but I know you liked Eren, even loved him! Always pulling him aside in hiding, so your affair can keep secret. The way you coddle him with those playful eyes when you think no one's looking. The way you draw him in with that lustful smile that always has him shy red!"

"Mikasa…"

"Was he everything you wanted, Levi? Did he satisfy you? Give you that spark in your dead-end marriage? Did he rekindle your flame? You used him as an escape from your miserable life, and now look where he is! Dead! Six feet under while you hunt down some twisted fantasy that I killed him!"

I had enough, ramming her head into the ring as her miserable tresses screened her pathetic face. She didn't know what she was talking about, and further, was trying to mislead me off course. I knew for a fact that she killed him. Out of jealousy, out of rage. And the fact that she knew our secret and did nothing only fueled my certainty.

She suddenly cackled, an insidious laugh that had my hairs elevating off my neck. Her laughter soon went explosive, and she started to convulse. It left me anxious, nervous, and moreover, guilt ridden.

Why, guilt ridden?

Like a snapped spark zip-lining through my thoughts, my head unexpectedly sunk heavy, eyes blurred, breath hollow. I snatched my chest, quickly crawling off of her, and tried to get up on my feet. To no avail. It felt like I was slowly dying from the inside, and my body tried to resist with all its strength pumping through my fired veins. I dropped to my knees, my head circled with sweat and anguish, and before I looked up to her erect posture, I realized she may have whispered something before I fell into this stupor state.

The room started to spin along with these dreary dark thoughts of a night I couldn't recall. The longer I kept my eyes shut, the more those memories faded into my subconscious mind. '_Mikasa, Eren… she, she was to blame! What did she do to me?'_

Blood… poison… how should I make sense of any of this…

Soon, the world around me went black, and my consciousness slipped through.


	9. Chapter 9: Once Upon a Dream

_This relaxation was much deserved, beneath a blanket of summer clouds in lush afternoon. I was mesmerized, lounging on a bed of wet grass with my arms tucked under my head, caught in the soulful melody of birds singing in the meadow. It drew me in. The breeze, the sunset, the calm of it all. My eyes slipped shut as I breathed in the aura of dewy petrichor, drifting into a soft slumber amid total paradise. _

_Complete paradise…_

_"__Ah, Levi, you promised you'd watch the sunset with me."_

_"__I never said such a thing. I only recall accepting your invitation out for a walk."_

_"__Some walk that was. You barely said anything at all on our way here!"_

_I drew an eye open, my periphery merely glancing at his childish frustration. Ignoring him, I went back to sinking into sleep, only to have him pounce on me in an unexpected grappling. I playfully wrestled with him, not to entertain him, but to actually get him off me. Amid his laughing and sneering, he managed to melt that irritated expression off my face. And the longer I tried to suppress a smile, the harder it got to keep from joining his merry. _

_At last, I pinned him to the ground, our exhausted breaths mixed between each other. A moment of stillness wafted along with the breeze, my eyes locked on his pools of emerald grey. I began to muse; how lucky I was, to have someone like him. How, fortunate. At times I couldn't believe our union, how our paths crossed and webbed so perfectly. I called it fate, others would call it sin. But right now, Eren was all I ever wanted. I leaned into him, our lips interlocking in a warm kiss that caught my stomach swimming in butterflies. My hands tightened around his wrists, and a yearning drew me deeper into his mouth. Too short it lasted, and I quickly realized he was still in a playful mood as he bit my lip. _

_I pulled away, my finger grazing the corner of my mouth. He looked up to me with a mischievous grin, promising, "Don't worry, I won't eat you." _

_I scoffed. "Cute." Taking a seat before the setting sun, he soon joined me, reclining his head perpendicular to my shoulders. We both gazed at the hot ball of fire, and he'd soon break the brief silence,_

_"__Do you think we will ever get rid of them all?"_

_"__A world without titans. Seems fairytale, truthfully."_

_"__Hmm?"_

_"__You're a titan. Noticeably, others as well. To say that would mean to eradicate its existence entirely." I dropped my head on his, and followed, "And we can't have that, now can we?"_

_He chuckled lightly, strumming his fingers through my black locks. "You'd go on without me. I know you would."_

_"__Why would you say something so stupid?"_

_"__Because I believe it. You have Hange."_

_Persistent this one, with his never ending guilt and jealousy. I had told him countless times to never bring up her name. And every time he did, we would end up arguing over why I still haven't brought myself to choosing one life or the other. But this time I held my tongue, and his concern would eat at the awkwardness between us. He sighed, continuing, "I know you have to uphold an image, and I know it's not that you're embarrassed of me, but the fact that you're still with her feels wrong. Like I'm the third wheel or something. And this secret, Hange doesn't… deserve this." _

_He paused, dropping himself on the grass, shutting his eyes and letting out a heavy bothered breath. He crossed his fingers over his forehead, addressing me with an anxious tone, "I know you told me to wait, Levi, but I'm tired of feeling like I'm just a fling."_

_"__That is one thing you're not. But you already knew that. You're just being impatient."_

_"__I guess I can't help it. Call me selfish." He smiled. "I guess us being together is kinda' fairytale too, isn't it? You, me, a cozy cottage escape overlooking a vineyard, maybe two dogs. Beagles. Some farmland in a gated commune, living happily ever after."_

_I couldn't help but to burst out laughing. _

_"__I'm being serious, Levi. It would be nice. Simple living. As boring and mundane as it may sound to you, it's heaven to me. After all of the fighting, and the war is over, I want to retire and spend the rest of my days with you."_

_I veered away from him and perched my chin on my elevated palm. He was a daydreamer. Couldn't blame him for that. It was another side of Eren I haven't seen. But I was more of a realist. And that fantasy of his couldn't permeate my mind. I answered him kindly though, giving the lad some false hope. But his lack of a response turned my head back to him, and I noticed he was asleep..._

_My eyes suddenly snapped open, and I contorted my person over his bluing lips. The color of his face fell paled. I jerked him, calling out his name to no answer. _

_"__Eren? Eren?!"_

_No, not again… I've already lost you once…_

_"__EREN?!" _-

"Eren… " My body sunk, so deep that it felt like I momentarily transposed myself. As the blur from my vision faded, I heard a familiar voice calling out my name in concern. Again and again. She proceeded to stir my shoulders, and I finally looked up to her with an irked eye. Hange.

I wanted answers, scanning my surroundings to discover I was back in my house, in bed. Wincing, I summoned enough strength to sit up, scratching my head to the beaming sunrays teeming through my window panel. Morning? It was close to supper time when I paid Mikasa… Mikasa!

I nearly sprung out of bed in realizing she must have dropped me off, but Hange was sure to stop me dead in my tracks. She noticed my startled anxious demeanor, and knowing Hange, she'd tie me down and bolt the door in her overzealous attempt in protecting me before I made it to Mikasa.

"Levi, relax! You're in no position to exhaust yourself right now!"

"Where is she?!"

"Mikasa dropped you off last night. You were out cold since then. She said you might have suffered a concussion when you collapsed after a drinking binge out in Danufall."

"Now why would she even bother making up such stories? She could have just told you she knocked me out in the ring."

"What?!" Hange's face went red, and she proceeded to bark at me. "Don't kid around like that, Levi! We both know you have a drinking problem, a problem we left in the dust months ago. But it seems it reared its ugly head again. Look, I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but at this time, more than any, you need to keep focused. We are all counting on you on the battlefield."

I brushed her off, sliding myself on the edge of the bed where she continued to pour herself on me. So overbearing, ughh. This woman really wasn't a genius when it came to picking up obvious hints.

"Levi, don't forget I'm here for you. If there's anything you need," she cupped my face, her soft eyes locked on mine, "someone to talk to, someone to lean on, someone to steer you in the right direction, I'm never too far away."

I answered her

as flatly and sternly as humanly possible, "Hange, stop this…"


	10. Chapter 10: Trouble Weaver

**I**t almost seemed she had composed herself, dropping her shoulders, as silent as a mouse for once. But she kept that glare on me, perhaps in hopes I may elaborate, perhaps in hopes I may spark a quarrel with her. Because we would always find ways to fight about matters less relevant, such as leaving a drop of OJ in the fridge, or tracking mud into the house… Well, maybe her disregard for leaving her gardening shoes indoors wasn't _exactly_ trivial. At times, I felt as if she annoyed me purposefully, like right now. She could have at least changed my street clothes, or tossed me on the couch; Hange knew how much I despised being in bed with outside filth swarming in my bed sheets.

And so I slipped out of bed, the weight on my legs nearly unbearable, and proceeded to strip the covers off. With every passing second, her itch to confront me poked me from behind, and as soon as I turned with a ball of sheets in my chest, I walked into a pair of pillows over crossed arms. My face bounced off her cleavage, instantly forcing me to drop my load between us. It left me with an undeniable bright hue on my face as I rubbed my nose, counting the amount of times she approached me in that manner. I was sure she felt some sort of dominance, but I don't think she was that much taller than me. Not as much as she wanted to believe.

"So, that's it?"

"That's what?" I questioned, and before I could speak another word, she grabbed my collar and slammed me into the mattress. From the beginning, I knew Hange was much stronger than I, a possible attraction I must admit. But she would never exercise that feat against me, until today. For a short moment I felt overwhelmed, more so shocked she lifted me with ease and assaulted me. I should be furious, but instead, I was shamefully turned on.

But then, she ran her mouth, "Stop what?! Stop being your wife? Just come out and say it already! Why don't you just get rid of me then, huh, Levi? This is your house! Kick me out then! Or don't you have the balls to tell me you want a divorce?!"

With her grip still dangerously close to my neck, I figured I should choose my words wisely, but in all honesty, I didn't know what to say. From the aura she fed me, her emotions had sky rocketed, and I felt compelled to keep my own in check before I made matters worse. On the other hand, she did deserve to know I probably wasn't ready for this…

"Answer me!"

"Hange, I don't want to part with you." Conflicted, but I guess I meant what I said. I looked at her sincerely, droplets of tears already surfacing her lenses. She then released me, turned around to sob in weakness. She tossed her glasses on my nightstand and kept her distance, her back facing me. There was a moment of silent sniffles, not awkward enough to have made me exit the room in regret. Instead, I wanted to comfort her, but in the same time, lay my position on the table. I sighed, standing up on my droopy legs, scratching the back of my head.

"I know you're a closed book, Levi. I know you don't like talking about pretty much anything in your life. But I deserve to know why you're always so withdrawn with me. Me, your wife. The more I show you I love you, the further away you shirk back or shun me."

"Hange, just because you've acquired this new title doesn't mean you have to change your attitude towards me. Before our engagement, you were dependent, focused, so engrossed in your research that I barely existed. And now you've become overbearing. So much so you expected me to change as well."

She veered to me, face flushed red. "Well maybe I thought that was something I needed to change! I hardly gave you any of my time! When I proposed to you, I promised you I would be better. I promised I would share my life with you, involve you in my work, in my hobbies, in my world. That's what being together is about. And…" She sunk her head. "That night I came back from visiting my folks up north... something felt off."

"What?" I approached her.

She clenched her arms, shielding her face with her heavy bangs. "I thought better of you Levi. I thought, at the very least, you would have told me by now…"

"Told you what, Hange?"

"After weeks of trying to get you to open up with me, trying to get you to even embrace me lovingly. I can't get you to have sex with me let alone sleep in the same bed with me. And then I leave for a couple days, just to come back and sense the presence of some other woman having been with my husband."

I took her shoulders. "Hange, there is no other woman."

"Don't lie to me Levi!" She barked, slapping me firmly on my face. "I tried to endure, I tried to cope with it, but I can't keep silent anymore!"

"Hange…"

"You can't even look me in the eyes anymore and say you love me! Then some skank waltzes in here and you give her the time of her life! How many knives are you going to plunge in my back before you say it's enough, Levi?!"

"Hange!" I grabbed her flailing wrists and pulled her into me. There was no other _woman_ in my life, and that was a fact. I was not lying to her, and she needed to know that. I wanted her to feel secure in her importance to me. And so I brushed her tears away, caressing her face in that wholesome passion she so desperately wanted. I gazed into her hazel brown eyes, and told her once more, sternly, "There is no other woman. I promise you." She looked at me intensely, and I allowed her to read the truth off my face. Her body settled down in shivering, and she finally let out a reviving breath. I wiped the tears off her lenses, stroked my fingers over her wet bangs, and mounted her glasses over her clearing eyes. "You are being paranoid. Whatever notion you have of what happened during your departure, please leave it to rest."

"Levi, I'm sorry for—"

"Don't be. I deserved a little abuse. After all, you're right about being distant. I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's just, this entire setting is still new to me and I—" I muffled, her lips unexpectedly grazing against mine.

"You don't have to explain anything. I know I rushed you into this, and we are still sort of newlyweds, so I will give you the time you need to gradually situate yourself. But I want you to try a bit harder, Levi. I want you to open up to me from time to time, and, this bedroom arrangement. We can have separate beds for now, but can we think about not having separate rooms? And, I'd like you to touch me every now and again. I'm not asking for much, am I?"

"Of course not, Hange."

I thought if she kissed me, I would have felt something by now…


	11. Chapter 11: Reflections

**Nothing**—I felt nothing when she kissed me. Her lips, warm, soft, and gentle, yet I was impassive inside. How cold hearted of me, to feel all but emptiness towards my wife's affection. Or perhaps, I forced myself to reserve emotion, because I felt a bout of guilt whenever I looked into her innocent, kind eyes. That night before she returned from her trip up north, I was being accompanied by a guest. Not a woman, as I firmly admitted, but with Eren. I had invited him to talk, and that night we ended up in the hot springs. That was the first night he pulled me in, and kissed me.

I had felt something then, something more than butterflies fleeting in my stomach, something more than chills up my spine. I don't know how to describe it, nor do I believe words could ever manifest such a sensation. At that very moment I had allowed it to consume me, the passion, the heat of it all. We made love, and it was as sporadic as it was stimulating. But by the next morning, he had already left, and my mind was left rippled. To choose between the two; that was something I couldn't bring myself to do. I truly loved Hange, but I felt passionate for Eren.

Well, at least now I wasn't troubled with such a tactful decision…

**As I rode my horse with stride, I continued to ponder on how things were. It's been two weeks since I last encountered Mikasa, and just as long since I went in battle. My undeniably rattled spirit was placed on temporary leave. The commander noticed I was struggling with depression, and it almost fetched my life as its price. Distracted, I couldn't deny that, but a forced leave was the last remedy for it. I became jaded, taking a break from seeking out Eren's killer, and visiting his resting place every night instead. **

**Just as I closed in, I noticed someone else standing before his plot. I tied my horse down before approaching the figure in black, tossing my hood over my face to combat the wind blowing through my hair. The grass crunched beneath my feet, yet the figure made no motion. Mikasa… no, couldn't be. The hairs on my neck haven't crept up yet. **

**"****Sasha?" It seemed she ignored my presence, her eyes bent over Eren's tombstone. An array of flowers dressed the etched letterings under his name, right next to a bowed-box of what appeared to be her offering.**

**"****Eren used to love those," her shook voice finally addressed me. "I so rarely baked them, but when I did, he would always be the first one to notice me wolfing them down." She chuckled softly, tears filling her eyes. I imparted no comment, simply kept the silence among us still as the night breeze rolled by. She burrowed her cries in her palms, trying to stifle her sorrow. **

**I in turn, glanced over his grave before jerking my head back. The sensation of pins and needles prickling my back elevated my attention to scout behind us. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it seemed my paranoia stalked me at a more or less vulnerable moment. Sasha finally looked my way with a confused concerned face, and I'd let out a sigh of uncertainty. I reached down and snatched her offering, hooking my finger through the bow as I gave it back to her.**

**"****The dead don't eat, neither do spirits. Instead, they watch over us with satisfaction that we are carrying on with our lives, which in turn, keeps them alive. Eren lives on through our memories. I'm sure he would prefer you eat these than have them expire in vain."**

**I left her speechless, rendered flabbergasted. But then she grabbed her sweets, untied the bow, and cracked open the tin container. She smiled, taking one cookie, then offered me the rest. "You're right. Eren looked up to you Levi. I'd feel better if I shared them with someone he really cared about."**


	12. Chapter 12: Take Over, Pt1

**I**t seemed everything was falling back into place. I had returned to the militia and reclaimed my station earlier this week, and have since then led three covert missions. The rekindling had brought the depression I constantly struggled with to rest, and in another light, gave me some self-purpose again. Yet, there still wasn't any advances towards Eren's case, which continued to lock me on edge. I had to fight the anxiety somehow, peeling myself open to the idea of sole meditation. Hange had recommended it a while ago, but it wasn't until recently I found myself exercising this tactic in nearly every possible venue.

And so I sat there, in the safe house, my mind lost to the outside world. And lost I was, in a corner, eyes shut, legs crossed, isolated in my own little dark cave. Surely I couldn't feel the pick of scouts with me in the lobby, until she walked in. Her sheer presence cursed my tranquility like a plague spread across my riddled mind. I slipped an eye open, studying her as she trotted down the entrance. Her chest heaved, head bobbing side to side, as if she were looking for someone in a rush. Then her eyes dropped on me, her posture suddenly squeezed tight. She flashed me a cold glare, and I responded with no expression.

Mikasa, I've been trying to avoid her all day. It wasn't the best of ideas to even have her on my team, but the commander insisted. As she approached me, I felt a chill run up my neck, and then she'd stop by my planted lotus on hard wood floor. The shrew looked down at me as she adjusted her Omni gear, reporting,

"Four, fifteen meters tall, south side."

I sighed indifferently, got up, and dusted off my knees. By the time I looked back up, she had me facing her back as she motioned forward.

"I haven't given you your orders yet."

"I can take care of them myself. Don't bother."

Out in an open field, far beyond city limits—I can do away with her right here, right now, and no one would ask questions. She was killed in battle, convincing enough.

I scoffed, the idea merely grazing my mind, and just as quickly, escaped my thoughts. There's too many witnesses, after all.

Such a spiteful bitch. I felt her plotting against me at every turn. Not too low bred enough to crawl beneath all angles to ruin someone for the sake of revenge. She had attempted to once before, but I highly doubt this attempt at being a one man army would convince anyone to rethinking my status. If she wished to be so bold, why not allow her? It only enforced more man power for other stations. In fact, she may be making me look that much better at my post.

But that night, the night we were guests in the Hausenberch estate, she motioned to make a fool out of herself, a fool out of us all. She nearly costed us funding for our militia when the masses refused to support a dying cause. Mikasa… so bent on winning Eren's admiration and attention that she would go to such lengths.

Sent a sickening feeling in my gut…


	13. Chapter 13: Take Over, Pt2

**C**hampagne, bowties—smug bastards with bellies and bronze cigars—not exactly my type of setting, but, nevertheless, I was here for a good cause. In no way did my flat modesty fit in with the crowd, by my signature cravat over an embroidered black vest did camouflage quite nicely. My eyes scouted the ballroom toned in classical music and opulent tapestry, along with the cluster of top hats and toupees that towered over me. Hange insisted that I presented myself, along with the other captains in the militia. To decline the invite would result in decreased subsidy, and in a simultaneous effect, seem like a slap in the face to those supporting my station. Of course I was her escort, but she had wandered off almost half an hour ago after entrepreneur Krevfaogh seized everyone's attention with that bullshit of a speech on _Reclaiming our Land_.

It was obvious Sir Ganellsen held a particular interest in Hange. Not for their love of science or their anatomical interest in titans. The researcher made good use of that though in luring her away from me, while trying to keep his sprouting girth in check. He did not faze me, his flirty eyes towards her, the curl upon his lips as he drooled all over my wife. Hange, being so oblivious, took his offer to tour his lab, and of course I allowed it. I trusted Hange, and besides, the man wasn't her type anyway. The opportunity also gave me some time to myself, feeling absolutely smothered and suffocated in these haughty fumes.

A small handful of troopers were invited as well, those held under the spotlight for far too long. It did benefit me at least, given Eren was here, somewhere between the sweaty bearded masses and the wine steward. Suddenly I twitched, immediately noticing Yeager's wavering stagger as he patted the wine steward's arm. I pushed myself down the crowd in a hurry, advancing towards him, but he quickly spotted me, leaving me with a grin on his flushed face before he dashed off. The little drunken bastard thought I was playing a game of chase with him, dumping conversations on me as he bumped into benefactors and their ladies alike. An annoyance it soon became, as I was stuck on the floor with wave after wave of nonsensical political banter. In between it all, I had noticed Mikasa searching for him also.

Finally I caught a break, or at least I thought I did. Eren kept to his sashaying hips as I crept up behind him in the balcony, only to realize his indecency swinging back and forth over the sprinkled hedges. My face surged beat red, and I palmed my eyes over before his blissful whistling stopped along with his stream.

"So juvenile… "

He shook off his manhood before tucking it in his trousers. "Have you seen the line to the bathroom?"

"You're such an embarrassment."

"I'm sure no one saw me." He cackled, veering to me. A pitiful sight.

"The one time you can't keep yourself together, right?" I zipped up his pants, then snatched his wrist, pulling him along.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You're going to cost us all funding. I need to hide you somewhere until you sober up."


	14. Chapter 14: Take Over, Pt3

**T**o my surprise, we stumbled into an unoccupied chamber attached to the near end of the balcony. The crystal chandelier lights were dimmed cream white, giving the sandstone paneled walls a softer tinge. This French-décor drawing room was a bit off-set from the rest of the manor's Victorian design, but it was welcoming nevertheless. Rimmed bordered colonial art, floral wall etchings, gold-white ceiling trims over tall burgundy window pane curtains—garish, but welcoming. It wasn't as over-congested as the other rooms in this multi acre abode, and it truly shouldn't be for its purpose. As I casually glanced over the wall of paintings behind the grand piano, I perched myself on one of the many crimson armchairs circling the room. And then it struck me; this man didn't have much of a family. Not one photo mounted in his home of a wife or even children.

A life of lonely wealth, not the best way to leave this blood washed world we live in. But I couldn't judge, being isolated for a good chunk of my life as well before seizing my own fate. I dwelled in my past while waiting, lost to my many escapades when I was young and foolish. Certainly I should regret those darker times, but I didn't. It made me what I was today, and there's nothing to regret there.

As I mused in a haze of memories, I watched Eren fumble from across the coffee table, trying to figure out how I got webbed into babysitting. He staggered over the bookshelf and clumsily knocked over a glass trophy, barely missing the wine red rug over hard wood floor. The memento shattered before his feet, triggering me to lunge at him like a fumed parent. I snatched his wrist, pulling him away from the mess until he boldly rammed the ball of his palm into my jaw.

Eren continued with his childish ways, trying to wrestle me off of him as we cascaded down the wall of furniture before I struck his backside into the body of the grand piano. He rolled himself over, and I finally pinned him against the keys with a sound mesh of muffled notes filtering the room.

The fear of someone hearing us clamped my hands over his lips as I glared down at him. "Eren, control yourself!"

He looked back at me completely bewildered, his wide eyes still stained hollow red. But before I could mutter another word, his flushed face softened, and it felt like he was tittering behind his sealed lips. It wouldn't be long until the reason for his amusement perked up between his legs and grazed my thigh. I nearly choked in an attempt to compose myself, biting the corner of my lip at his growing bulge.

"You're unbelievable," I hissed, snapping away from him before he hooked his finger down the back of my collar.

"Ay, Levi. You brought me here for a reason, didn't you?"

I veered to him, my brows still furrowed from irritation. Although I must admit, the opportunity was tempting, and he didn't make it easier for me as he waved around his vulnerability.

He pulled me into him by my cravat, flashing me those far from sober sultry eyes. And then I answered, "To give you time to clean your act. I'm not going to have you embarrass the entire militia."

He fiddled with my trouser zipper, asking, "Did you lock the doors behind you?"

"I did… "

"… Is it because Hange is around the corner?"

My face grew red, the hesitation eager to wane down. This wasn't the time nor the place for playing around, but Eren continued to tempt me at every angle. His lips drew into mine, the buckle of my pants slipping down to my ankles. The doors were in fact locked, no one knew we were inside, and our bodies were too far from the window for anyone to spot us. So why couldn't I just drop my guard? Why not let loose and have some fun?

"Her presence makes little difference."

I finally caved in, snatching him by the tie to embrace his kiss. And suddenly, the faint chatter from beyond the other side became lost to my lustful mind.


	15. Chapter 15: Take Over, Pt4

**F**rom the other side of this door, the commotion could be misinterpreted as roughhousing as we managed to thrash our bodies from one corner of the room to another. From slammed piano keys to grazing table legs on wood, I hoped the ballroom music would quell our heated bout of making out. But then I heard voices muttering softly, Eren clearly paying them no mind as he panted heavily into my ear. Should I be worried?

Or was I more interested in the thrill of getting away with it? Here, now? The idea of engaging in such lechery with not only my wife in arms reach, but in close company to our comrades and haughty hat-warmers? …I guess, I was just as bold and brave and brash as Eren was.

But he had a shameful defense; I was just being a selfish horny Harry.

I locked my lips on his neck slick with dews of sweat, stripping down the long sleeves of his collared shirt. He pulled at the rim of my boxer briefs, grinding his proud bulge against my dripping hard on, triggering me to suckle on his flesh harder. I felt the blood rushing through my veins, a tingling in my fingertips following his undressing me fully. He flashed me a coy smile, and I in turn snatched his belt, returning the favor.

Before he could handle me, I made my course move, ramming his chest into the daybed with his naked backside perked on its edge in my favor. I leaned over his back crossed arms, my pressure keeping him entirely submissive beneath my growing member.

"Is this what you wanted?" I whispered in his ear, my breath basking down the valley of his nape, "You have an interesting way of asking for attention… "

"Ok, Levi. You can stop. You know I don't like when you get so rough!" He wheezed, writhing his locked limbs.

"No, you just don't like it when you're not in charge. You had no problem fucking me back at my place."

"But Levi…"

"Eren?"

"Y-you're going to hurt me!" His hesitant voice cracked, and I answered with a handful of his hair in my fist.

Arching his head up, I glared down at him, feeding him sternly, "That's not going to work this time. As if you could really back down at this point."

"W-wait, Levi! We really shouldn't even be here. We shouldn't be doing this! What would Hange say?"

A low blow.

Such a coward. I wouldn't've thought my size would stall our sex life in such a capacity. I believed the first time was just nerves, but the fact that he'd prevented me again just confirmed it. It wasn't going to stop me though, not in the slightest. As I've said, I was being selfish tonight.

I sighed, releasing his head and cushioning my piece between his plumpness. "I didn't expect you to resort to guilt as an escape, Eren." I gave a devious grin. "You should be punished for that, wouldn't you agree?"

With one sound yelp to rattle the radius, Eren cried out at my entry, rendering outside silent. I knew from that point we were exposed, but that didn't stop my stride. I smothered his face into the bed and resumed raiding his tight virgin walls, ramming my wet piece without remorse. The more he squirmed and moaned, the harder I pounded him. Until his nice round tush glowed hot red like fire. I slung my head back in rapture, ignoring the approaching footsteps towards the door. My hands gripped his hips, giving me access to deeper plunge into his pulsating cavity. Eren finally stopped resisting, crossing his wrists together over his still sunken head. It made the session easier to handle, easier to manipulate.

I shifted his legs open, forcing one kneeling on the lounge and the other supporting his weight on the floor. Before my speed took flight, I noticed him snatching his member, jerking his arm to the pace of my riding hips. A winning smile wandered my lips, feeling my persuasive charm finally coddling him.

And then suddenly a knock found the door, followed by a familiar voice, questioning, "Is someone in there?"


	16. Chapter 16: Take Over Pt5

Mikasa.

With such impeccable timing too.

Yet I was determined to finish as I slammed Eren's churned face back into the cushion.

"Levi stop! Someone's out there!" Eren whispered.

"Stop worrying. The door is locked, remember?"

"Eren? Are you in there?"

Persistent little bitch, isn't she? I guess something within me wanted to rattle her frame, and I called out, "He's fine."

Little did I know I'd soon regret that teaser as she followed with alarming pounds against the door. I felt her rage seep from the crack beneath the threshold, the hairs on my back standing on their ends. Her lack of self-restraint was slowly making me nervous, the impact of each ear-booming knock triggering Eren's panic. He scrambled for his clothes, and I let out a sigh of disbelief, irritation, and momentary regret.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Eren whispered as he cladded himself sloppily, and I too slipped into my monkey suit.

"Wouldn't have been if your obsessed admirer wasn't such a—"

"—Eren?! Eren, what are you doing in there?"

The Siamese twin complex was something I had to bear with Eren, but at a certain point I knew I'd have to break his tie with her, whatever means necessary. It seemed her jealousy was beyond her pride and composer, and at that moment, I was unarguably at wits end. So I snatched the peach-faced rookie by his arm, rammed the door open, and laid my widening eyes upfront.

It was then my breath leaped into the back of my throat as I stood frozen before the audience gawking at us. Before I could even sow my words, I witnessed the entire assembly of benefactors, servant boys, and men of might judging Eren and I quietly. The air staled with humiliation; I've never felt so caught with my pants down…

"Levi?" Mikasa questioned.

I could already feel assumptions screaming off her heated, sheepish face. I flashed her an angered mien in return, accepting the fact Eren and I were far from presentable. My grip on Eren's arm tightened just as her lips began to babble.

"Is this how you carry yourself as an invited guest in someone's home?! Is this how you honor our supporters and represent the militia?! And sadly enough, you dragged Eren into your disgraceful ways! How can you call yourself a leader if you can't even uphold your own image? Look at you, drunken and disarranged. You're making a fool of us all!"

"Mikasa, it's not what you—"

"My apologies," I kindly interrupted Eren. "Eren and I had a bit of a scuffle in controlling his drinking habit. You can only imagine what a burden it must be carrying such a great deal of weight on one's shoulders in protecting this country. Almost like carrying a massive boulder on your back. I do not condone his reckless mannerism, but I don't shun him for it either. I am many grateful for this man's bravery and service to this country, despite his lack of maturity. My priority is guiding this young cadet to success, and ensuring our people's safety and fortitude. It might not seem so now, but I believe he is our

saving grace in our dire time of need, the only real advantage we have against those heartless giants. With time, the militia as a team will soften up those rough edges and sculpt this country's hero. Mikasa…"

I looked at her flatly, a dash of hatred flickering subtly in my eyes. "Will you pardon your comrade's disheveled state? The same fearless comrade who saved your life?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "I will. Of course." Her fist tightened.

I veered my eyes north to the audience again, asking, "Will you all pardon Mr. Yeager's moment of weakness? He is still part human after all…" The room began to detensify in our favor, followed by a round of applause for the hot-headed hero. Eren erected himself with a bow and a smile.

Surely, I threw Eren under the bus, but that mini monologue of mine was what solidified our funding for the quarter.


	17. Chapter 17: Curious Cravat

**F**or the sake of marriage, I needed to boggle my brainy brunette. I had promised her change, but perhaps I should have coined in for something more subtle, considering I wasn't used to participating in such a vendor. But Elga had been feeling _under the weather_ lately, giving me an opportunity to reveal my more _sensitive side_. Regardless, Hange persuaded Elga to tag along with me for assistance.

The marketplace, more packed than ever, still offering very little in variety. It seemed more like a charity pot than an actual place of business, but often times there would be a couple vendors shooting their prices way high for quick profit. The meat sections had always been scarce and costly, selling out just as fast as they restocked, and in turn, making us all vegetarians. But this morning Elga was sure to grab us fresh boar meat that would last us a couple days.

As the butcher behind the counter scaled the flesh, my eyes veered to the timid looking old maid. The ride to Saviion Boardwalk was quiet too, as she only addressed me when beckoned. So I stared at her, observing her body language. The longer I stared, the more nervous she so obviously became. Elga tipped her sunhat over her shifting grey eyes, her rattled breath rolling beneath those steaming glasses. She perceived me as a hostile? I've known Elga Ovakski for many years, and she has been in service for my family since my childhood. You could almost say she was like a second mother. But for the past couple weeks, she has been painfully elusive. And this cold she told us she supposedly had; an excuse to retire to her quarters for a couple days? I couldn't help but question why…

Her fingers fiddled with her pocket purse as she folded her rose glossed lips in her mouth. Her sagging wrinkled cheeks stiffened just as I leaned into her height from behind and slid the payment on the counter. She took a step back, her wide eyes glued to the coins the butcher groped with his hairy, greasy hands. The assistant slapped the slab of meat on parliament, proceeding to tie our dinner for the evening. I finally broke her daze. "Still waiting on you to tell me what has gotten you so distant, Elga."

She nearly jumped at my voice, cleared her throat and replied in a thick, nasally voice, "Master Ackerman—"

"Pardon?"

"I misspoke. I meant, Sir—"

"I thought I told you to just call me Levi? There's no need to be formal and uptight with me, Elga."

"My apologies." She thanked the butcher and settled the meat in her basket before moving onto the produce section. "I haven't been feeling well, is all."

I followed at her side. "There's also no need to lie to me either. For a sickly woman, you don't seem very pallid or weak." I rendered her speechless, a mere cough escaping her lips. "Is it something Hange did?"

"No. Madam has always been kind to me. Don't you worry, I will recover soon enough."

"Recover from what, Elga?" She gave me no response as we continued to gait, until I abruptly interrupted her pacing, standing right before her. "You can't even look me in my eyes. It's something I did then?"

"No, sir… " she whispered, her head low.

I rested my palm on her comfortingly, replying, "Then what is it?"

"Please, don't!" She cried, shirking back from my touch and dropping her basket. "I am terribly sorry!" Elga fell to the floor and snatched as many items to her chest before I pardoned her.

"…Don't worry, I'll take care of it." The crowd locked its attention on me with edging aversion, as if I struck the poor woman to her knees.

"I need some air. Please, excuse me." My brows furrowed to the sight of her long skirt and drape carrying along the boardwalk in a hurry. A part of me was tired of trying to pry the truth out of her… the other thought I would be better off knowing.

As I finished re-stuffing her basket, my eyes drifted north, and I spotted a peculiar looking Armin wedging himself in a tuck between two posts. He tossed his hood over his head, turned to his sides then continued pacing eastward. Something in my gut told me to follow suit, so I dropped the basket off in my carriage then stalked the shifty mouse.


	18. Chapter 18: Flame Circle

**T**here was nothing much to quiet Armin, no deeper truths or secrets to discover. A rather flat-panned, two dimensional recruit who stood as Eren's side while Mikasa occupied the other. He was as innocent as they came, and possibly just as humble; but if there's one thing that kid had, it was insight, and a good judge of character. But then there I was, trailing the kind-eyed soldier, just a few yards distant from him. I hung my head low with my hood high, the darkness of the path swallowing us slowly. It seemed a dead end awaited us upfront, but just as I picked my head up, a blink rendered me lost to my target.

But how? The kid must have been swift-footed to dodge me so tersely. I stopped, baffled by my now lonesome state. Turning to my right, my eyes dropped to the branched adjacent narrow walk splitting two residential buildings. But before I could coax myself to move forward, a looming feeling snuck up from behind me. Instinctively, I drew my dagger from my hip, a hand grasping my shoulder just as I veered my person.

"Why are you following me?"

A bit jumpy I suppose, but in this day and age, I warrant my caution. The tip of my dagger remained tucked between the opening of his cloak, my firm eyes locked on his struck expression. The deadening silence lingered between us for long, until I questioned him as I withdrew my weapon, "What are you doing here?"

He hesitated, finally replying, "Mikasa told me to meet her here."

"Here? In an alleyway? Doesn't that seem odd to you?" I must admit, my abhorrence for that vile woman kept me on the edge.

"It does, I guess. But she's my friend, and lately she's been… different. So I took the offer as a means to finally talk to her alone."

"How does she seem different?"

Armin plunged his head nervously, folding his hands beneath his cloak. "Ever since Eren passed, she has been apathetic to everything and everyone around her. Well, more so I guess. But I can't blame her, you know? I'm sure she's still hurting, as am I. I just… wish she'd be more open about it. And also, I feel like she's hanging around the wrong crowd."

"What cr—" I paused, the smell of metallic familiarity wafting under my nostrils. My eyes popped open, and the bitter taste of flesh drew me into that narrow east pathway. I could hear Armin's footsteps behind me follow before I witnessed a mangled carcass floating above a bloodbath. Armin gasped, my eyes fixed on what was a middle aged male commoner.

"A murder?! And in broad daylight?!"

"AHHH!" Her scream filtered through the walls, catching Armin and my attention. "Someone please, help!"

No sooner than she cried, a mass swarmed around her. And just like that, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a crime scene as a possible suspect. I could only imagine what she presumed happened, why we were standing over this man in a corridor shielded by shadows. A mosh of all ages pointed fingers and assumptions at us while Armin tried to explain the situation. Until one girl pointed her finger at Armin as soon as he veered to me.

"Blood, blood!"

Armin contorted his person, diving into his back pocket to pull out a small knife with a bloody hilt.

"Murderer!" The crowd hollered.

"What?! N-no, this isn't mine!" Armin stuttered.

"Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!" They chanted like an angry mob ready to pounce on the boy. And they did, not to my surprise. I couldn't make anything out of the situation, a mere observer to the decay of mankind. But a part of me wasn't prepared to label Armin as a killer. And then, I spotted her.

Yes, beyond the heat of the crowd,

Mikasa!

Her back walked away from the chaos, a break in her gait, then a menacing look as she perked her chin over her shoulder.

Did she kill this man, framing Armin?!

I dashed out and wrestled my way through the crowd. I could hear Armin's demise from behind as I chased after the running Mikasa—his fight overthrown by the masses. Surely he would be convicted of the crime if Mikasa planted her trap well. There wasn't anything I could have done for him back there. As he called my name in suffering, all I thought about was taking that bitch down.


	19. Chapter 19: Vendetta

**H**ow did it come to this?

The front door pushed my weight back as I leaned into it—exhausted, demoralized. I could barely shuffle my feet into the foyer, and the door slamming heavily behind me rung in my ears a violent echo. I caught my breath, my back resting beneath the threshold. I swept the tacky sweat off my forehead, my cheeks falling numb from the sudden rise in temperature. A sigh of defeat; I must have lost my touch, or maybe it was her deviance that's gotten an edge on me. Whatever the reason, I wouldn't ponder on possible excuses to allow myself relief. Mikasa got away. But next time I won't be so winded; next time there won't be a chase…

"Levi!" I looked up to Hange, the more than concerned wife of mine charging at me with an embrace. I took her into my arms, a feeling much desired. Her warm breath swam across my neck, her silk brown hair laced between my cold fingers. I sunk my head into her shoulder, and I could feel her chest trembling.

"I am fine, Hange. There's no need to cry."

"You had me worried sick, do you know that?" She sniffled. "It's way past dinner and you come home, disheveled, reeking of sweat, and the last I heard of you was in Saviion with Armin and a corpse!"

"It wasn't us."

"Where were you?!"

"Did you hear me?" I withdrew from her, cradling my forehead in my palm, pacing back in forth. "I think Mikasa killed that man and framed Armin."

Hange crossed her arms and fixed herself in a belligerent stance, "Oh, and let me guess, you were out playing cat and mouse? Why would she even do such a thing?"

"Would letting her walk away, having Armin take the fault have been best?" I took a breath. "Maybe Armin got too close, caught onto what she was doing. Or what she did. Maybe he got a sniff of her tail and now she wants him snuffed out."

"You're riding on assumptions, Levi. Don't get yourself muddled in this mess." She sighed in relief. "I'm just glad you're home. Wash up, have dinner, and forget about all of this."

"How are you so indifferent to this kid's impending wrongful prosecution?"

"You have this tendency to put everyone's problems on your shoulders. It's going to get you grey one day. You're stressed Levi. There's a lot going on in your mind and you really don't need more on your plate right now."

"A man died a causeless death, in which whom the suspect is one of our own, and you want me to do nothing?"

She grabbed my shoulders, looking me dead in my eyes. "I'm asking you to let someone else handle it."

I brushed her arm off, replying dismissively, "Where's Elga?"

"Levi?" Her eyes tented.

"Where is she?" I asked more firmly.

"In her quarters."

Out the way I came in, Hange's call upon me went through one ear and out the other. Her attitude towards the situation wasn't of my concern; it seemed she didn't believe Armin's case, or didn't care for it at all. Either way, I couldn't turn a blind eye between all of it. I left Elga at the square, among over dozens of other possible witnesses. Perhaps she saw something I missed.

Upon arriving at her small chamber adjacent to west wing, I noticed the door slightly ajar. Yet, I found it necessary to knock on her door. I called out her name, the air remaining as still and cold with every thump. With no answer, my beckoning became more and more demanding. She ignored me earlier, and perhaps she wanted to continue keeping me at bay. Though it wasn't like Elga to keep her entry unlocked, being the paranoid grandam she was.

Finally I decided to force my way in. I was polite long enough. But what I saw there after rendered me stoned...

"Evening, Levi…"


	20. Chapter 20: Rush

**A** swarm crept in me like a thousand buzzing bees—like a thousand needles prickling my skin. My eyes nearly popped out of my throbbing head, and the room began to spin out of control. Dizzy, nauseous—I held my breath, yet struggled for air. In, out, I told myself. Breathe in that musty air of red. I felt so sick that I hunched over and clenched my stomach tight, a gargling noise reflexively escaping my sealed lips. I chucked a nice puddle of stomach acid on the floor, its contents mixed in with the spilt blood of my dearest Elga.

"I never dimed you as a lightweight, the way you slice those titans down to size."

The image of her seated on the vanity split into three dancing violently before my eyes. My vision was disoriented, but I could still recognize that bitch swinging a bloody meat tenderizer tepidly in her hand.

"Mikasa… " The bitter taste of bile filled my mouth, a hunger for revenge rumbling in my stomach. She had caved the back of Elga's head open without remorse, without reason. Now I shall pay her in kind.

I closed the door behind me, wiped my arm over my lips and glared down the demon before me. To hell with the consequences, to hell with morals. If she wanted to go around slaying innocent lives selfishly like a titan, then I shall treat her as one!

"You're not leaving here alive tonight… " I grunted.

"Are you sure?"

"I will wash this room with your guts, drag your lifeless corpse into the river, and no one will ever hear your name again!" With haste, I charged at her, hurling over the single bed, and right into her reaching arms. She had dropped her weapon before effortlessly throwing me onto the floor, her hold already around my neck.

"You're weak. Unfortunate." She grinned, her thighs around my waist tightening along with her grip.

"Fucking bitch!" I tried to pry her off my neck as my focus faded in and out. I was stripped down to exhaustion from chasing her earlier, another score on my strength when I discovered Elga's death. My body wasn't fit for battle, but I needed it badly.

I needed to kill her, a desire that became somewhat of an addiction. I had fantasized about it, under different circumstances, but dreamt of ending her nonetheless. A bludgeoning, decapitation, a bilateral slice right down the middle—the possibilities were endless. Yet, here I was now, the opportunity as vivid as my vendetta, and I've succumbed to this. I didn't care why she did it. Why she framed Armin, why she had beaten Elga, why she murdered Eren. She was on a streak and I needed to end it.

"She didn't seem so happy with you earlier. Didn't want you anywhere near her. Almost like, she was afraid of you."

"So you're stalking me now? Am I next?"

"She knows, doesn't she? Well, I want to keep it a secret. It's a game, you see?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"A game… " Demented. She must have been. Her fingers ran over the buttons of her blouse, slowly revealing her lace ivory bra underneath. I looked up to her marveled blood-splattered face, and she'd flash me sultry bedroom eyes. She gazed at me as if she were in a trance, craning her head back with a sharp jerk of her riding hips.

Mikasa. She was taunting me, grinding the heat between her legs against my girth.

"You had Eren; maybe I can have him too through you… "

"You're sick!"

"You won't remember any of it."

"What?" Her grip on me loosened, and I immediately seized the opportunity to retaliate. But as soon as my hands throttled her throat, she looked me deeply and whispered something under her breath. Those words, chant-like, almost… familiar…

Unwillingly, I surrendered to it.

My body fell into a daze, succumbed by a smothering force that buried me into the weightless floor. It was as if she had drugged me, rendering me immobile on the tip of consciousness. My vision finally faded, my last sight of her fanning the back of her skirt up, pulling down her panties over my face.

"Don't…"


	21. Chapter 21: Cold Embrace

**T**hese days I've been finding myself lost in transition. One moment I'd be in one place, and another in the next. Surely I was losing my grip on reality, days simply milking into each other in a crockpot of misery and mayhem. Then again, I'd be bored otherwise, rolling cash in an office begging for death to take me away. Wonder what my uncle would have said about that…

"Levi, you're awake!"

I pulled my backhand away from my forehead and noticed Hange sitting at my bedside. It was then I realized I was in a hospital; she must have been sleeping for me not to acknowledge her earlier. As she closed in on me, my eyes browsed the innards of the room, a peculiar blood stained dress shirt catching my attention.

Was that… my blood? It was certainly my top, capped over the rest of my clad.

Anxious, I jumped up, searching my body for wounds, abrasions, bandages, anything. I nearly knocked Hange as I sat myself up, trying to figure out my reason for being here. Then suddenly Hange grabbed my wrist, distressing me with a stone stare.

"What did you see?"

I squinted my eyes to her question, not understanding what she meant. My thoughts were blurred, and I couldn't recall where I was last.

"Levi, Elga was murdered. In our own home. Now, what did you see?"

The zipping memory of her corpse grazed my head, and a sudden ill feeling dropped my hands over my face. Yes, it all came back to me… killed under our noses. I had to ask myself then, why didn't they come for us?

"Why am I here?"

"You had to be resuscitated. I found you in Elga's quarters, near death on the other side of her bed. Levi, I need you to tell me what you saw. You are being considered a possible suspect. No murder weapon was found, but you happened to be the only one around at the time of her death."

"How did you find me?"

"When you went out, I followed you a few minutes after. I got worried, and thankfully, I did. Your heartrate was virtually nonexistent. The nurses gave you some oxygen. After that, it was just a matter of you stabilizing. Levi, I need you to tell me what you s—"

"I don't remember. I can't even recall how I apparently passed out." Hange shot up from her seat, and tossed her head back with exasperation. She let out a long sigh, crossed her hands over her hips, and finally veered towards me.

"Levi, I want to help you, but lately, you've been acting very strange and standoffish. I mean, I've never really been able to read you before, but now I feel like not even you can decipher yourself. It's like you're off your balance, and it's scaring me. This whole thing with Eren, and Mikasa murdering him, and framing Armin for a murder she supposedly played a part in—I feel like these theories are driving you—"

"—Insane?" I interrupted, getting myself out of bed.

"No, that's not what I was going to say."

"My mind is just fine, and those aren't theories. They are facts."

"Levi, where's the proof then? Hmm?"

"A change of clothes?"

She diverted her eyes towards the small forest green duffle bag on the armchair, and I quickly replaced the hospital gown with my own clean clad. Hange crossed her arms over her chest, and I could already read the urgency in her creased lips and flaring nose to start an argument.

"I don't want you to pursue this, Levi. Eren died not too long ago, and now Elga. You need to give yourself some breathing room and accusing random people isn't going to solve anything. Yes, she seemed adamant about staying away while others grieved, but that's no reason to suspect her of being so heartless."

"Look, Hange, I'm tired of talking to you about Mikasa's innocence in all of this, and I'm not going to stand around convincing you otherwise. Because you're a creature of science, and sadly, solely rely on cold hard data and facts for anything to sink into that hard headed skull of yours. There is no gut feelings, there is no intuition! Eren's killer is still out there, and Elga's as well. It's hard to say proof has gotten them any justice, isn't it? So I'll stick with my instincts, and you can stick with your principles. As long as justice isn't served, I'll keep going. Nothing will stop me."


	22. Chapter 22: The Muse

**A**nother period of grievance—became somewhat of a familiar territory by now. I was released from the hospital days ago, enough time for them to burn my dearest Elga into ashes and sprinkle her remains along a coastline. It was her will, and I was to fulfill it to the best I was able. I owed her that much for everything she's done for me, for everything she was—a wise, hardworking, caring woman. She didn't deserve the death she was given. Elga had helped me stabilize into fortune, and aided me further in discovering humility. Sure, she had treated me like a child from time to time, but a bit of scolding and straightening out never hurt anybody. Hange also grew close to the sweet-faced grandam, as she was an expert in the garden, a hobby Hange quickly fell in love with on her behalf.

No charges were pressed, but I was temporarily removed from the task force, a motion Hange wanted permanent due to my _unhealthy mentality_. For I was a broken old man in need of extended rest. I'd go mad before reposed. Nevertheless I sat there, amid imperial décor, warm candles, and my elixir of fine whiskey. The family room was as quiet as a canvas, and I painted my serenity with shot after shot of paradise.

My eyes glanced over to the high pane windows, the dark inflated clouds staring back at me. And so I kept my mudded greys on them, craning my tired head back against the cushion, reposed...

"Have you found refuge in your drinking, Levi?" Hange questioned as she walked in. I hadn't heard the front door close, though she swung her purse over the loveseat across me and stripped off her beige sweater.

"Not yet, I suppose." My eyes drew closed, and in my darkness I could feel her approaching me. She plopped to my side, her hand cupping mine as she leaned into my shoulder. "Two deaths, two funerals, two bottles. Why don't you cut me some slack, hmm, Zoe?"

"I didn't come here to fight, Ackerman." Her hand reached across me and took the filled shot glass from the armrest. She guzzled it down before pouring herself another. "I think I'm losing my fucking mind," she sobbed, slipping into a soft chuckle.

I peeled my eyes open, took her face in my palm, and gazed at her lovingly.

At that moment I felt utterly vulnerable. It seemed everyone I cared for was slipping away. But I couldn't lose her, no… not Hange. She was all I had left, yet I couldn't shed a tear before her. I always felt I needed to erect this guard in front of my wife, as I do with others. Never letting her in, never budging not once. Yet, she could read the yearning in my touch, the frailty in my eyes. I wanted her now more than ever. Resting my forehead on hers, I gave her an earnest mien, then broke into a playful chuckle. "I think we are all losing our minds."

She giggled, I too laughing softly before planting a gentle kiss on her lips.

Her tender warm lips…

A kiss that sent the blood rushing through my veins. It was an unexpected surge of adrenaline that forced my lips harder into hers, my tongue gliding violently inside her mouth with vehemence. I reached over my shoulders and pulled off my jacket from behind, Hange dropping the glass on carpet at my cogency. No words were exchanged between us, just unspoken thirst for carnal pleasure.

I bet she was taken back, I bet she wasn't ready, for she looked at me with bewilderment as I took her down and unclasped her blouse. She would play fair, a sly smile tucked in the crease of her lipstick-smeared lips. No sooner than I undressed her did she snatch me in by my cravat, and I would plunge my breath into her neck, and suckled hard on her flesh. If there's one thing I admired about my brainy brunette, was her taste for pain. And she'd find ways to hurt me also, digging her nails down my chest as I grazed my bulge over her puckered panties. Her shallow panting kept me heated, as the steam from her hot breaths fogged up her nerdy glasses. I hooked my fingers along the sides of her hips, ready to run the mile with that whiskey sex juice, until a sharp throbbing flung my hands over my head. I peeled off Hange from the instant pain, rapid flashbacks keeping me tousled.

"Levi? Levi are you all right?" Hange churned a look of concern and fright.

I shook my head, the pain fazing away. "Yeah, I'm fine." Upon looking up to her again I noticed she still flashed me fearsome eyes, as if she had seen a ghost. The tickle beneath my nose gave her a reason, and I'd wipe it with the back of my finger to realize I was bleeding.

"I'll get you a tow—"

"—No, it's fine." A night of passion postponed for a bit of bleeding, a bit of bleeding that soon turned into an alarming gush of blood. But of course I had to hide that before Hange, palming my nose as I headed for the bathroom.

It went without question that I certainly deflated. I was sure she was disappointed, but I was even more so discomfited.


	23. Chapter 23: Leverage

**I** swam in foreign waters, so dark and steep that I could feel myself drowning—literally; it sapped all the life out of me, reducing me to a mere shadow of my former self. I caught that looming feeling of certain malady approaching, but it could be just paranoia. After all, I've been getting bouts of migraines and nose bleeds, aside from the fact that I had passed out on two occasions with memory loss to boot. I've been distant to everyone, to Hange, including myself. I have lost perspective, the fire once inside me snuffed out. I was surprised I had enough strength to get up this morning.

The need for answers propelled me out of bed, and down the hall of the corrections facility downtown. They had agreed that I meet with Armin, and I watched him from the end of the hallway being escorted out of his holding cell. Two officers lead me to an interrogation room, even after I made it clear I wasn't here to catechize the kid—a casual chat would do, in which I requested full privacy. They were a bit hesitant, given I was seen at the crime scene, and could be a possible accomplice. But my rank barked louder than my biting threats.

I must say, it was difficult watching the boy enter the room cuffed, garbed in con attire. He seemed disheveled, pallid, weak—his soul sucked out of him. It was like looking at the bottom of an ashtray, his face so dull and cracked. An officer seated him across the table, I on the other side, putting out my cigarette.

The officers exited, left us isolated, a round of silence passing time by. He didn't move an inch; eyes half lit, half open—the drooping head over sagging body complex. It was obvious the system defeated him, but I felt hopeful that he would have the courage to speak to me at least.

"How are you holding up?" I finally asked; he replied with no answer.

"I heard your trial isn't for another couple days. They are planning to convict. And with the jury outlook, it doesn't seem too good on your end, Armin."

Again, no answer, no reaction.

"I say this because you haven't tried to defend yourself. I'm blunt because you have to hear it from somebody. You haven't taken on a lawyer, and denied a defender. Sure, they will consider your time in the force, but you're fighting against the sentencing for killing a man, Armin."

Nothing.

"I'm sure no one has visited you yet, not even Mikasa?" I paused, his brows flinched, and he went bug-eyed. "You had your suspicions of her, can you tell me why?" He finally looked up to me, an eerie stark expression on his face before he shot up like a bolt of lightning and screamed,

"NOT ME! NOT ME PLEASE, NOT ME!"

He thrashed around, dropping himself onto the floor. I turned to the right wall of the sound proof room, and through the window noticed two officers rushing to the door. I jumped up, then dragged my seat behind me before ramming the backrest beneath the knob, locking the chair in a tilt. I couldn't imagine that would hold them off for too long, so I ran to Armin, cradling his head up as he continued to spasm.

"Armin, it's just me. It's just us two."

"PLEASE, PLEASE, N-N-NOT ME!"

"Armin, who threatened you?" A wide assumption, but it was the only one I had. "Who are you seeing?"

He gazed at me with water soaked eyes, trembling. "M-Mimi-m—"

"—Was it Mikasa? Why would she threaten you, Armin? Why did she frame you?" The restless banging and yelling from outside inhibited me from hearing what he replied, and I soon found myself in the snatching custody of two husky officers tackling me down. But I too was persistent, calling out to Armin as they wrestled him into standing, "Armin, if that bitch visits you again before trial, you request an audience with me! You got that?! Don't let her scare you!"

An officer Coleman—I looked up to his badge in the split seconds before he cocked back his fist and rammed it right into my jaw. A bit harsh for asking for a few undisturbed moments with a prisoner, I thought.

I may have had passed out, the image of them batoning that poor kid etched in my head.


End file.
